The Last of the Monsters Read Online Free Page A

sequence, and they were working on it tonight. It was the one in which Ebon first tracks down Padma after Seling has kidnapped her. Emotionally, Henry’s character started out angry and afraid, then, when he saw Padma, was relived that she’s alive and realized exactly how much he loved her. It was the moment that the audience had to identify with his character and root for him, despite the bad things he would do in the course of the movie. They had to feel for him so they would mourn the loss of the life he’d forfeited for love in the next act.
    Henry and Akta found a small area out of the way of the crew to rehearse. They’d done the lines in readings, but this was the first time they were working out the physicality of the scene, and the first time Henry would really have to embody the emotions.
    Cali was at his shoulder, talking quietly. She’d gone into what Henry liked to call her director mode. The normally rude and abrasive woman was a brilliant director, which he hadn’t expected. He did his best to focus on her, listen to her as she helped him get to the emotional place he needed to be.
    “The person you love has been missing for hours,” Cali said. “You’ve been looking for her, searching for her, sure that every minute that passes means she must be dead. Then you find her. You know it’s a trap, but you don’t care, because you can see her. She’s there, alive, waiting for you.”
    Henry gave himself over to the character, becoming Ebon. Fear and anger rose within him. The need to find her, save her, clawed at him. He felt his color change, shifting from blue to black. He opened his eyes.
    Padma was sitting on the ground a few feet away. She was terrified, confused.
    He snarled, eyes sweeping the area around her to assess for danger. When his gaze returned to her, he jerked forward. Throwing himself to the ground in front of her, he curled his wings around them, completely sheltering her as he looked over his shoulder, scanning for her kidnapper.
    “Pull one wing back.” He vaguely heard Cali’s suggestion and responded without slipping out of character.
    He folded one wing back but kept Padma inside the protective curl of his body and the other wing.
    She made a small sound and he looked down at her. She’d tipped her face up to his. Tears glittered on her lashes. “You found me.”
    “I will always…” He paused, raising one hand to touch her face.
    He froze. He could see fire in her eyes—passion and anger. He was no longer Ebon wanting to touch and comfort Padma, he was Henry, fighting a losing battle with his desire for Akta. The anger dissipated, and his hand, which hovered a breath from her face, faded to blue.
    “Henry…” Cali’s voice was low, urgent. “Stay in the moment, you’ve found her, but there’s still a threat, the people who did this will pay.”
    Henry tried to pull himself back, tried to touch the core of anger inside himself, but he couldn’t. His control was as thin and fragile as a worn rope. She was too close to him—he could feel her breath, smell her hair.
    His emotions shifted, desire crashing through him, and Henry jumped to his feet. “I can’t.”
    Before either of them could stop him, Henry bolted, cursing himself the whole way.

Chapter Three
    Akta stared over Lena’s shoulder at the computer screen and felt the world crumbling away around her.
    One of the Hollywood gossip blogs was featuring a story about their movie. A story claiming that the actors were real monsters. Most damning of all, there were pictures. Pictures of Akta and Henry kissing, with Henry in his monster body.
     
    Hollywood Heartbeat
    Monsters Are Real!
    We were planning on showing you exclusive stills from Calypso Productions’ untitled film, but it’s not about the film anymore. It’s about the actors.
    Check this: The actors aren’t human. That’s right, those hotties who’ve been showing up all over the red carpet along with the lovely Akta Patel aren’t human.